


Loss Revisited

by GeneralMeow92



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Birdperson - Freeform, F/M, Rick Sanchez / Orginal female character, Rick and Morty - Freeform, Squanchy - Freeform, rick sanchez - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:32:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8748982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralMeow92/pseuds/GeneralMeow92
Summary: Series opens during the war fought against the Galactic Federation. Rick and his comrades are losing and must retreat.





	1. Lose Loss Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this on my tumblr as well as on here, so both authors are the same if you've found it here or on tumblr. 
> 
> This sort of just sprang to mind when I was doing my hair, I really hope to make it into a series. 
> 
> I don't own anything in regards to characters except Roak, she's all from my brain meat.

Liquid iron coated her mouth, her lungs were screaming at her and every breath in felt like razor blades. Her throat, with each swallow burned like it was being raked with hot coals. Her eyes squeezed shut so tight it was reminiscent of vice grips. 

"Roak, move!" She could hear her name but it sounds like someone was shouting through a thick layer of syrup. "Fucking move Roak!" Her arm was pulled violently upwards. "Open your f-fuc-fucking eyes and move god dammit!" She shook her head, it felt like it weighed the same as an anvil her body felt like it was made of lead. 

"I can't see." She rasped. The man pulling her finally looked at her. He thrust her against the trench wall. One of her eyes had been burned out of the socket. 

"Fuck." She couldn't see him but she knew by his tone it wasn't good. She listened to him hurriedly pull bandages from his pack wrapping the cloth over her eyes. "Hold onto me. Don't let go." He told her, she gripped his belt allowing herself to be pulled along. Clumsy feet stumbling over debris and bodies that littered the trench. 

"Rick!" She screamed over the plasma shells that were falling around them. 

"Keep moving!" He doesn't slow down he keeps pulling her along. 

"Rick please, stop! I can't keep up!" She trips and falls onto a still warm corpse. "Go without me! Rendezvous with Birdperson and Squanchy, get out of here!" She pushed his hands away while he struggled to pick her up. 

"Fuck that. Get on your fucking feet and move!" He gripped her arm and pulled her up. Every nerve in her body screamed at once as he dragged her forward. "I'm not losing anyone else on this fucking hill!" 

 

By the time the dust had cleared and the enemy had fallen back it was already dark, the only light illuminating their weak forms was from the phosphorus blaze of fire behind them. Roak sat on a burned tree stump, her hands groping in darkness for Rick who had left her to find Birdperson and Squanchy. 

A soft fur covered hand clasped onto her and helped her to her feet. “Squanchy? Did we…did we squanch them?” She asked, her left hand holding the space cats enlarged forearm as her right hand groped through the darkness, only finding heat causing her to pull back instantly. 

“They pulled back for now, but we didn't squanch them one bit.” The space cat growled. 

“Where is Rick?” She asked him stumbling over loose rocks as she slowly walked up the hill. 

“He's with BP. Roak, its Birdwoman…she didn't…” Squanchy’s voice trailed off and through the night air Roak could hear soft sobbing building up into a crescendo of ear piercing wails. 

“No.” Roak finally allowed her legs to give out, through the darkness of the bandage she could see Birdpersons weeping form, in his arms was his mate. Behind him stood Rick, his hand holding the other mans shoulder, comfortingly. 

“We need to get out of here. We can't win. Unity has pulled back its forces, its time we…” Squanchy trailed off. 

“I will not leave her here.” Birdperson stopped crying and glared menacingly at Squanchy. 

“BP she's gone, but we can still get the squanch out of here.” Squanchy replied, trying to reason with the mourning man. 

“No. I will not leave her here. I will take her home to our family burial grounds.” Birdperson growled, his pain seeping into Roak’s heart as she stifled her own cry at the loss of her friend. 

Rick noticed Roak sobbing and clambered over fallen comrades to seize her in his arms. “Lets grab her and get out of here. We’ll regroup and fight another day.” Rick knelt in front of Roak and pulled her onto his back. “Lets go while the shelling has stopped.” Rick whispered to Birdperson placing his hand back on the mans shoulder. “Let's get Linda home.” Birdperson looked up at Rick, his eyes shimmering against the fire. 

“Wubba lubba dub dub...” Birdpersons tone had completely changed from just moments ago, his once passionate voice was now monotone, devoid of feeling. 

“I know pal.” Rick cast his gaze down the hill to their last remaining escape pod. 

 

**Two years later**

 

“They'll never stop looking for us. Not after what we did.” Roak mumbled behind her dust covered bandana. She stood in front of a bulletin board looking at the wanted posters. 

“Just for-urp-get that shit baby.” Rick said reaching in front of her and ripping the poster of her face off the board. “For me its like a like a, I don't know, a hobby?” Rick slurred patting her shoulder. 

“Another poster for the collection?” Roak sighed, her prosthetic eye scanning the crowd as they left the store, walking back out into the mass of aliens surrounding them. 

“That eye is gonna need an upgrade soon.” Rick glanced at the parts in a thrift shop window as they passed by. 

“It's fine for now hun. It'll last until we find somewhere out of Federation jurisdiction.” Roak told him, readjusting her pack on her shoulder. “Have you heard from Une or BP?” She asked him, noticing he had stopped in front of a box of old junk. 

“Hmm?” He sighed pulling out rusted parts, Roak could see the wheels in his head turning. “Look at this shit bay-bee!” Rick chuffed excitedly raises a whamtamle and holding it in front of her face. “With this, oh god, oh oh boy! You'll be able to see through walls!” Rick thrust the broken device in her face like a kid showing off his prize. Roak laughed and placed her hands over his. 

“Let's get back to the ship okay?” Roak pulled him on, but Rick was stubborn. He wanted to search through the box more. “Rick please, let's get back.” Her voice sounded more urgent, she was pleading with him now and he couldn't discern why. 

“Dammit Roak, quit pulling.” He ripped his arm back, the shock sending Roak to the hard floor as aliens filed around the pair. “What the fuck is so, so damned important?” Rick didn't say sorry, not even to Roak. He just looked down at her, empathy pounding on his pupil, she could almost see his remorse in throwing her but he'd never say it. 

Roak just pointed behind him at the approaching Federation patrol. “Jeez-urp Christ on a pike.” Rick growled reaching down and pulling her hand into his before ripping through the crowd and back to their ship. 

“That was too close. Why didn't your alert go off sooner?” Rick raged at her as they zoomed through space. “Why did you wait till they were a cunt hair from our assholes to warn me?” Roak sat next to him biting the inside of her cheeks to calm herself. “I mean, come on, for Christ sake Roak are you trying to get us thrown into jail?” That was it. 

“First of all you slimy little fuck ball, I did warn you. Several times, that they were coming. It's not my fault your overly drunk ass got taken in by some flimeplocking do-dad!” Her rage poured over, her hair augments turning her follicles red in anger away from their usual lavender. 

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down sweetie.” Rick pumped the brakes of the ship and they came to a halt. “Sorry, you know me. I get taken in by shiny objects and beautiful things.” He tried to take her hand but she pulled away at his touch like she'd been burned. His brows immediately furrowed as he looked at his empty hand. “Not this again…” he sighed exasperated. 

 

Rick landed their ship on a black hole platform and refused to get out. Roak opened the door slamming it behind her and walking to the back to retrieve her pack. Rick rolled down the window and looked at her through his mirror. “You don't have to do this Roak.” He breathed out, his eyes closed. “Where will you even go?” 

She approached the window and rolled her eyes. “I'll surf the gravity wakes for a few weeks before I settle myself in another universe. You know me Rick, I'm a vagabond. I'll find my way.” She picked up her laser pistol from her bag and holstered it on her belt. 

“You always were my little space cowboy weren't you?” Rick opened the door, a pile of bottles and cans falling out after him as he knelt in front of her and wrapped himself around her waist. “What will I do without you?” He asked, his vulnerable side peaking out from the corner. 

“Same thing you've always done Rick.” She pushed his head back gently to look up at her as she smiled down. “Be the genius I love.” She lowered her head and kissed him softly on the lips. 

Roak detangled herself from Rick’s lanky arms and pulled out of his grasp, she left him on his knees as she approached the black holes gravity wake. Her bag slung on her back and her lavender hair whipping in the wakes around her. “Until I see you again darling!” She yelled over the crushing sound of rippling gravity. 

Rick stayed on his knees on the hard cement, he stared at her, his loose arms hanging at his side. “See you around space cowboy!” He shouted back, hoping she could hear him. She smiled, that mischievous twinkle in her real eye as she backed up to the precipice behind her. She blew Rick one final kiss before falling backwards into the swirling gravity beneath her. And like that, Ricks love was gone. His friends had been scattered to the wind for safety and he was left with nothing again.


	2. A Beacon Activated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roak joins Birdperson at a house party. Gambling, drinking, and fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's sort of a filler chapter just to get the ball rolling so to speak. More will be elaborated on in the future. Also note that Rowan is Roak. Rowan is her first name, Rick is the one who first called her Roak, and it stuck.

**Fifteen Years Later**

 

Roak walked behind Birdperson, he kept telling her that Rick was in danger, the audible music from the sidewalk told her differently. As they walk up to the door Roak could hear screaming teens shouting and Rick egging people on during a drinking game. She rolled her eyes, he hadn't changed. Birdperson rang the bell, his wings fluttering slightly, sending feathers behind him and into Roak’s hair and mouth. 

“Birdperson.” She growled spitting feathers out of her mouth, using the back of her hand to wipe spittle from her chin. “I really doubt he's in trouble, can't you hear that noise?” She places her hand on her hip and points to the upstairs window where a teenager is hanging out throwing up down the wall. 

The door opened slowly in front of them to reveal a teen girl with red hair, her brow furrowed as she looked at Birdperson. 

“The beacon has been activated, who is in danger?” Birdpersons monotone voice asked. 

With a disgusted grunt the girl opened the door wider and yelled, “Grandpa!” 

Roak who was still behind Birdperson heard Ricks deep gravel voice, “Birdperson!” She saw the two men fist bump and smiled, the two had not changed at all. Years apart from one another hadn't stopped them from being dudebros. 

“I am pleased there is no emergency.” Birdperson muttered, Roak rolled her eyes behind him as she leaned on the open door frame. 

Rick laughed deeply, “Oh there is an emergency! A pussy emergency!” He laughed, wrapping his arm around Birdperson. “When was the last time you got laid?” Rick sneered shaking the man slightly. 

Birdperson fidgeted and looked down at his shoes, “It has been a tough mating season for Birdperson.” He sighed sadly. 

“Then it's time to get your beak wet tonight playa! Go have some fun out there Ba-ba-bir-bir-Birdperson.” Rick said, pushing his friend forward into the party and still somehow missing Roak behind him. 

“Seems some things never change, huh Rick?” Roak asked him, as she pushed herself off the frame of the door, and into the party. 

Morty walked over to Rick, seeing his mouth drooped in shock. “Oh jeez Rick what's uh what's wrong with you?” Morty asked, waving his hand in front of his grandpa’s face. 

Rick smacked his hand away and stiffened up. “Nothings wrong Morty.” Rick replied indignantly, brushing passed his grandson and pushing into the mess of people while looking for Birdperson. 

Roak wandered through the house, weaving in and out of the teenage mass of delinquency until she came to the kitchen and the shining silver keg. “It is only now that I truly feel at home.” She sighed pushing the kids off the tap and filling two red cups for herself and Birdperson. 

“How-ha-how could you, how did you even find urp-er?” Rick was whisper yelling at Birdperson when Roak found them. Roak stayed behind the wall to listen as the two men spoke. 

“Rowan came to me a few months ago, she needed a place to crash.” Birdperson told Rick while searching the party for Roak. 

“Roak came to you be-be-before coming to me?” Rick raised his voice, looking around to make sure the woman wasn't near. 

Birdperson simply shrugged his shoulders as Rick stormed away from him. Roak poked her head next to Birdperson with a worried expression on her face. “Should I not have come?” She asked sitting on the arm rest of the chair beside Birdperson, she handed him the red cup and took a deep gulp from her own. 

“I believe Rick is simply in shock. He hasn't seen you in many years. Give him some time to come around.” Birdperson did his best to reassure Roak. She nodded, what he said made sense, she had disappeared years ago and left Rick all alone, he was probably still pissed off at her. “Rowan, it will all work out.” Birdperson pat her on the shoulder before standing and leaving her to mingle with the crowd. 

 

“Alright kids, the name of the game is Left Center Right. Rules are easy, roll the dice, you get an L you pass one dollar to the person left of you. Get an R, pass it to the person to the right. Get a C, dollar goes in the center. Dot means stay, you put no dollar in. When you're out you take a drink, but you can come back in if someone has to hand you a dollar.” Roak scanned the already drunk faces of the teens around her. “Ready?” She asked them shaking the dice and sending them across the table. 

Rick watched the game being played from the door way. He nursed his beer as he watched Roak hustling the group of teens. He could tell by her smile she was manipulating the dice with her eye. Something she had become even better at over the years she was absent. Morty came up beside Rick and watched him watching the woman. 

“Who is she Rick?” Morty asked, he watched the long strands of the young woman's lavender hair fell around her shoulders. 

“The woman who should've been your grandma.” Rick growled into his cup finishing off the liquid inside it before casting it aside on the ground. He walked up to the table Roak was playing Left Center Right on. A game had just ended and Roak stood holding the $27 she had gotten from winning a round. “Why don't you play a round where you don't cheat?” He glared at her slamming three dollars on the beer soaked table. 

“Oh Rick, you know I never cheat.” She winked at him placing three dollars down in front of her. “Besides, who could possibly cheat at dice rolling?” There it was, that twinkle in her left eye, her real eye, that told him she was up to no good. 

“Mo-mor-Morty, get over here and play.” Rick waved Morty over and forced him to stand next to him. 

“Uh Rick I don't have any money.” Morty said standing beside Rick and looking at the beer covered table. “And besides, we should clean up this beer before it ruins the wood finish.” 

Roak laughed, “Here Morty.” Roak slid him three dollars from her winnings. “Win a round and I’ll help you clean the place up later.” Rick again caught the twinkle in her eye. She was going to take the whole table for suckers. 

“Oh boy, I win again!” Roak smiled, reaching into the center and taking the winning pot. Roak caught the sour look on Morty’s face and felt bad. He was obviously a sensitive kid, it made her feel bad. “Hey, Morty?” She reached for him as he slumped away from the table. “I'm still gonna help you clean up later. Something tells me this party wasn't sanctioned by your mom and dad right?” Morty nodded, his face brightening to the idea of getting some help. 

 

Rick found Roak sitting on the roof watching the alien circle jerk that was going on around them since the house had been transported away. She hadn't changed in all the years he had known her. She was still trapped in the body of a 28 year old, despite being the same age as Rick. The scar over her right eye seemed more faded than the harsh red burn it was years ago. He attributed the healing to the accident that caused her to stop aging. Freckles still sprinkled across her face, even at this distance he could still see the constellation of regulus on her cheek, something he had always teased her about. She stopped watching the aliens to cast her tawny gaze at Rick, who almost stumbled walking across the roof. 

Rick cleared his throat before taking a seat next to her. She turned her eyes back towards the aliens and smirked as Rick fumbled with the flask in his lab coat. “So…” Rick trailed off, the words he had rehearsed before climbing up her were completely lost now. 

“It's good to see you Rick.” She told him, not bothering to look his way. She removed her leather jacket as she began to sweat under the harsh alien sun. Underneath was an old band t shirt, in lightening bolt letters it read The Flesh Curtains. Ricks eyes lit up instantly. 

A large burp erupted from his throat, “Fuck, you still have that?” He said, not really believing his eyes. 

“I have like sixty of them Rick, you'd give me one for free at every show.” Roak laughed at him. Pulling the shirt out and looking down at the bands photo on the front. 

“You were my favorite groupie.” Rick thought back happily taking a long sip from his flask. Roak punched him in the arm and rolled her eyes. 

“I wasn't a groupie Rick, I was a roadie. I carried your guitars remember?” She laughed, remembering when she toured with The Flesh Curtains, where she first met Rick. She took the flask from his hand and drank deeply from it, finishing the contents.

“Oh that's right!” Taking the flask back and putting it inside his lab coat.

Neither said anything more after that, thousands of thoughts flew through Ricks head but for the first time in a long time he was speechless. He wanted to shake her, ask her where she had gone? Tell her that he looked for her everyday for five years. That he would've kept looking for her but her trail went cold. 

Instead hateful babble spewed out of his mouth, “What are you doing here Roak?” He asked her, his tone filled with anger. He glared at the sky but when she turned to look at him she knew that look was for her. 

“Birdperson invited me. You activated the beacon, you know the emergency beacon. Obviously I would come.” Roak told him, she stood up wiping dirt from the roof off the back of her jeans. “Had I known you were just having a house party while Beth was away I would've stayed back.” Roak walked to the edge of the roof and stood there pulling her jacket back on. 

“That came out wrong-urp.” Rick mumbled, he stood up and followed her to the edge. “I-I-I meant, where have you been? Why-urp am, am I just now seeing you?” He asked her, his hands at his sides, with his left hand doing its best to catch hold of her right hand. 

“I’ve been trying to find a cure.” Roak sighed, she looked up at the yellow sky. 

“A cure for what? Your-urp accident?” Rick asked her, when they had been together they both worked to cure her. 

“Yeah, but still nothing. I'm gonna be trapped in this body forever.” Roak joked, smoothing down her body and over her curves. “It's a curse.” She laughed, catching Rick staring, spittle oozing out of his mouth and hanging down to his chest. She rolled her eyes at him and snorted.

He quickly sucked the drool back into his mouth, “Ya-ya know, I could maybe help you with that.” Rick took her hand and pulled her against his chest. Roak smirked at him, her hands resting comfortably over his pecs. 

“Oh yeah, you think you can help me?” She whispered under heavy lashes. 

“Let's get you to my garage and onto my examination table. I've got just the tool for you baby.” Rick told her lowering his head, his lips edging closer to hers. She smiled inching closer to him. Lips growing tentatively closer and closer when from inside the house Morty screamed that they were home with the crystals Rick had asked for. “Oh shit!” Rick cheered pushing himself away from Roak and sliding down the ladder back inside the house. 

“Something's really never change.” Roak sighed, following after the man.


	3. Our Flask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roak helps the kids clean up after their party and shares some history with Summer.

Roak stood in the kitchen throwing crushed cans into a large black garbage bag. When she promised Morty she would help she didn't imagine the mess would be this bad. She walked the full bag into the garage and threw it into the growing pile of trash bags. Walking back into the house she heard Morty pleading with Rick to get up and do something to fix the mess he had helped to make. 

Roak came out of the kitchen and leaned over the back of the couch, in front of her Rick sat with his elbows resting on his knees as he rubbed his temples trying to massage his hang over away. Summer came back into the room holding the gadget Rick had asked for, he took it begrudgingly and pushed the large button on the face of the remote. Sending a pulse out and freezing time indefinitely. 

“I guess that's one way to solve your problem.” Roak chortled, disappearing back into the kitchen in search of food. Rick rolled his eyes at her and followed her into the kitchen anyway.

“Ya know, no-no-no one asked you. You coulda coulda cut out of here with Squanchy.” Rick said taking his flask out of his pocket. 

“I told Morty I would help him clean.” Roak sighed, closing a cabinet door when she didn't find any food inside. “That's empty.” Roak pointed out to Rick as he screwed the top off the flask. 

“I think I'd know if it was empty, Roak.” His hung over tone was replaced with an indignant one. Roak rolled her eyes at him again as he unscrewed the top and tipped it back into his mouth. He glared at her, pulling the flask away from his mouth and trying to hide his disgust. 

“It's empty isn't it?” Roak asked smiling. 

“Not another word.” Rick growled pointing a bony finger in her face, she only laughed swatting at his hand while he laid his head down on the counter.

“Hey.” She finally said to break the silence between them. “You hung over?” She asked him, already knowing the answer as he picked his head back up and glared at her. “You want cowboy toast?” She asked him clearing off the stove top and looking in a cupboard she had seen a frying pan in. 

Rick gave her a noncommittal response but didn't say no. 

“Ask the kids if they want some.” She told him, as she turned to the fridge to grab the eggs, butter, and bread. 

Rick sluggishly walked out of the kitchen and back in the dinning room where Morty and Summer were picking up pieces of garbage and placing them in oversized trash bags. “Hey, Roaks making breakfast, you guys want any?” He asked them, his gaze down cast not meeting their faces. 

“Yeah I'm starving Rick.” Morty whined dropping his garbage bag and slumping into a chair. 

“Who is that woman Grandpa Rick? Why didn't she leave with everyone else?” Summer held onto her bag but folded her arms, popping her hip out and raising an eyebrow. 

“That’s Roak, she seems nice and she’s making breakfast.” Morty told Summer. “We should give her a chance ya know, maybe maybe not be so judgmental, right Rick?” Morty looked at Rick who rolled his eyes walking back to the living room and falling face first onto the sofa. 

Morty walked into the kitchen, he placed his elbows on the counter and held his face in his hands while watching Roak. She moved like fluid in the kitchen, flipping the bread in the pan without really paying much attention to it. She was able to look at Morty’s dower face and crack an egg in the center of the bread. 

“Hey Morty.” Roak smiled at him, she plated some cowboy toast on an orange plate and slid it in front of him. “I know that look all too well.” She chuckled turning back to the stove as Summer entered the kitchen and leaned against the counter with Morty. 

“What look?” Morty asked examining the toast closely. His eyes down cast, exhausted. 

“That one.” She pointed with the spatula. “If anyone knows what its like to be tired of Rick, it’s me.” She laughed slightly, plating another piece of toast and handing it to Summer. “He means well Morty.” She sighed tossing another piece of bread in the pan and cracking an egg over it. 

“He’s selfish.” Morty muttered poking the toast with his finger. 

“Yeah. He is. But hasn’t he always come through? Like finding you a new universe to live in when he fucked up the pervious one?” She asked him walking over to the fridge and looking for some shredded cheddar cheese. 

“How do you know about that?” Morty sat up and looked wide eyed at her. 

Roak just smiled and shrugged as she sprinkled the cheese over the toast. She left the two kids in the kitchen and walked into the living room where Rick was still sleeping with his face pressed into he cushions. With a roll of her eyes she gave Ricks side a quick kick eliciting a deep grunt from him. He rolled his head to the side and looked up at her with one eye. 

“Fuc-urp-k. Why are you still here?” Rick wiped his hand down his face sitting up. 

“Sort of stuck here until you let time go forward again.” Roak told him sitting down on the coffee table in front of him and placing the plate on his knees. “Eat, you need to soak up all that alcohol.” She told him, she reached into the pocket of her jacket and took out a small flask of her own. The initials R & R on the side. Ricks eyes flashed quickly and he grabbed the flask from her lips. 

“Where the hell did you get this? We lost this on the hill.” He held the flask up to his face, making sure it was indeed his old flask. 

“I went back for it. Lots of digging went into getting that baby back.” Roak said, looking at the shiny metal flask lovingly. “Didn’t think you’d even remember it.”

Rick looked up at her from the flask, “I don’t.” He threw the flask back at her and stood up, dropping the toast on the floor. He and Roak both looked down at the mess on the carpet. 

“Right…” Roak muttered bending down to pick up the discarded meal. 

“Roak I…” Rick looked down at her, still he couldn’t say sorry. With a disappointed glare she looked back at him. Her fake eye scanning his facial features. 

“Yeah. I know.” She tossed the toast onto the plate and walked it into the kitchen where she threw it in an open garbage bag. 

Rick left the house, storming into the garage, Morty followed after him. This left Roak and Summer in the house to clean up a few more bits from the party before calling it a day. Summer followed after Roak quietly with a bag while the older woman threw trash in it. Summer’s mind was racing with questions. Where had Roak gotten that jacket? Were those jeans vintage? How did she get her hair to change colors last night? What was her past with Rick? Roak could tell the teen was bursting with questions, every time she would look up Summer would open her mouth to speak but close it almost instantly. 

“Summer, you’re going to explode if you don’t breath soon.” Roak laughed using a tissue to pick up a discarded condom off the stairs. 

"How do you know grandpa Rick? Can I borrow that belt sometime? What’s up with that scar on your eye? Why is my grandpa on the front of that shirt?” Summer spouted off questions left and right, the sheer amount almost making Roak dizzy. 

Roak laughed and undid her belt handing it to Summer, “Gonna need that back.” She winked continuing to pick up trash. “To answer two questions at once, your grandpa use to be in a band, and I use to be a roadie for that band.” Roak said turning around to dump several red cups into the bag Summer was holding. 

“No way, Grandpa Rick is like sixty. What were you a fetus carrying guitar amps?” Summer rolled her eyes. 

Roak laughed at the thought, “I’m the same age as Rick. I had this accident a long time ago, I fell into this huge vat of chemicals during a a routine lab check. It stopped the aging process completely.” 

“Whoa, no way!” Summer squealed. “That is so cool. At least you’re trapped in a hot body though right? I mean it could’ve been so much worse. Like what if you were stuck in a hideously old body for eternity? Gross.” Summer told her, contorting her face in a disgusted look. “And your eye?” Summer asked not wanting to end the conversation. 

“Has Rick ever told you about the war we started with the Galactic Federation?” Roak asked Summer. 

“No, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear that Grandpa Rick started a war.” Summer laughed, Roak smiled at her nodding. 

“Well, on one of the last days during that rebellion they were shelling our trench, I dove out of the way as one fell beside me, a broken piece of shrapnel embedded itself in my right eye burning it out completely. Rick found me and bandaged me up. When we finally got off that rock and were somewhat safe for a time he built me this eye.” Roak pointed to her right eye, and as Summer looked at it closely she could see circuits through the fake iris. 

“Grandpa Rick and you were lovers then huh?” Summer asked suddenly. 

“We were something.” Roak agreed, not giving any further elaboration. 

“That flask he was yelling about as he stormed into the garage?” Summer trailed off. 

“Back before the rebellion when he was just the guitarist for The Flesh Curtains. We had stopped in this disgusting dive bar on Galacksis 9. Rick wanted to put on a show for these bikers. The bar owner couldn’t pay for the show so he gave him this flask instead. Rick engraved it himself and gave it to me one day while I loaded up his guitars.” Roak found herself smiling, she looked at Summer who's eyes were shimmering in delight. 

“Oh my god, Grandpa Rick was such a sweetheart!” She paused and an evil grin spread across her lips. “Oh my god! He still loves you!” Summer cheered dropping the bag of garbage between them. 

“Summer, I don’t-“

“No, trust me! He’s acting just like Sven did in Hearts Ablaze.” Summer told her folding her arms. “Alejandra comes back into town and Sven pretends that everything she does is wrong and he gets mad at her for pretending she didn’t leave him years ago taking their daughter and running away to Puerto Rico.” 

“Jesus Summer, spoilers! I’m like three seasons behind!” Roak covered her ears. 

“Anyway, he totally still loves you. I’m going to make it my goal…no! My mission to get you back with Rick!” Summer cheered running down the hall to her room to start working on her plan. 

“Thanks?” Roak looked confused as she continued to clean the hallway on her own.


	4. I Got Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids delve into Grandpa Ricks past

It was a few days later that Morty had run out of things to do. With time frozen there was no school, so he had time to finish all those video games he had started. He wandered into the garage where Rick was sleeping off a three day bender. Empty bottles and cans were strewn around the garage, the smell of booze and vomit permeated the room, Morty had to cover his nose to even stand beside Rick. 

“Uhh R-Rick? Do you think maybe we could, I don't know, could we do something?” Morty asked Rick, who sat up and pushed a pile of beer cans away. 

“Co-come on Mor-mor-mo-mor-urp-ty. I've got a good buzz going here. Why don't you urp, bother Summer.” Rick drooled down his chin before his face fell flat on the table. 

“There's nothing to do Rick.” Morty whined. 

“You've got a box in the other room-urp that plays tv from other realities and and and you've got nothing to do?” Rick grumbled angrily. “Well god Morty why don't I, why don't why don't I just make something just to entertain you huh Morty? Cause cause it's all about you right uh Morty?” Rick raised his voice throwing his hands in the air. 

“Hey Morty, let's leave Rick alone, come check out what I got today.” Roak said poking her head into the garage. 

Morty shrugged his shoulders at Rick and followed Roak into the living room where he found himself staring at an enormous television that covered the entire wall.

“Roak?” Morty asked sitting down on the sofa. “Where did you get this?” He asked her, picking up the remote and turning it on. 

“Borrowed it.” Roak said sitting down next to him with a large bowl of popcorn. 

“From where?”

“Time Square.” Roak replied flipping popcorn into her mouth. 

“How did you even get it here?” Morty asked, his thumb on the channel button scanning through shows. 

“Portal gun.” Roak told him reaching into her coat and pulling out a portal gun that looked a lot like Ricks. 

“Hey, did you take that from Rick?” Morty asked, not really caring just sort of curious. 

“Borrowed it.” She slid the portal gun back into her jacket. 

“Oh jeez Roak, Ricks not gonna like that.” Morty whined sliding back against the couch cushion. Mildly concerned with Roak having the portal gun, mostly impressed with the tv. 

“He won't even know.” Roak laughed reaching into her jacket and pulling out her flask. She propped her feet up on the coffee table and poured the contents of the flask into a glass of dark soda. 

Morty stared at her, noting how similar Roak and Rick seemed to be. “That's pretty strange.” He said, his eyes sliding back to the screen. Roak gave a non-committal grunt and watched the tv silently. 

“Um, hey Roak. Can I ask you something?” Morty asked fidgeting the remote in his hands. 

“G’head.” Roak breathed out with a silent burp. 

“At the party, Rick said you were the woman who should've been our grandma.” Morty turned off the tv and looked at Roak. 

“He probably means the whole engagement thing.” Roak sipped from her glass, her eyes drooping heavy as she yawned. 

“You and Grandpa Rick were engaged? You didn't tell me that!” Summer said running into the room and excitedly sitting down sandwiching Roak between the two children. 

“Yeah, that's what the flask was for.” Roak said taking the flask back out of her jacket and handing it to Summer. 

The girl smoothed over the engraved R & R, turning the metal container over in her hands. On the back were more words in a language she didn't recognize. “What's it say?” Summer asked handing the flask back to Roak. 

“Just some sentimental garbage.” Roak laughed, tracing the strange letters with the tip of her finger. 

“Well why didn't you guys get married?” Morty asked, folding his legs under him and turning his body on the couch to face her. 

“My accident.” Roak muttered sadly, clutching the flask.

“But all that did was make you young right?” Summer asked, mindlessly tapping away on her cell phone. 

“No.” Rick growled from the door frame. “It killed her. It killed her, and it was my fault.” 

Summer and Morty's eyes bulged almost out of their skulls. 

“What do you mean you killed her? She's right here Rick that's not funny.” Morty scrambled to look at Rick who was stalking into the room. 

“I got better.” Roak shrugged. Rick stood in front of her and sat down hard on the coffee table. “It took a while but I was able to pull myself together. Think Doctor Manhattan, except less blue and no giant penis.” Roak told them, her eyes locked with Rick. “But it took so long that Rick had already moved on. He was married, he had your mom.” 

“Oh my god Roak, are you the reason Grandpa Rick abandoned mom?” Summer asked, flabbergasted. “Were you a home wrecker?” 

“She's not the reason I left. I left because your grandma was a preachy bitch and was ruining my life.” Rick took out his own flask taking a deep drink from it and wiping the spittle off his chin. “So one day I took off, The Flesh Curtains were having a reunion tour, and Roak just appeared, carrying my guitar to the stage like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't been dead for fourteen years.” Rick reached out with tentative fingers, softly stroking the skin of Roak’s right hand as if he were afraid his hand would faze right through her. 

“Were you mad at Rick?” Morty asked, watching the exchange between his grandpa and this strange new person who was in their life. 

“No.” Roak replied, her slender fingers locking with Ricks. “Why would I be mad at him for having a life?” The warmth from her fingers making Ricks eyes light up as he held her gaze. “I was dead, I didn't expect him to die too.”


End file.
